


tell me of another beginning

by eviruu



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Post-Graduation, small mention of all of Knights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-10-03 18:12:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17288909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eviruu/pseuds/eviruu
Summary: It's no lie that what kept Leo fighting were all of his dear Knights. And it's no lie that Izumi would always stay his loyal partner, even after graduation.(A small reunion, flowers and stars they all live under.)





	tell me of another beginning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ripplingtale](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ripplingtale/gifts).



> This fic was written for @kaIsinasi on twt for the Winter Enstars Secret Santa! I had so much fun writing this so I hope you enjoy it!!

The cold slowly snakes in under his two layers and he starts shivering, his breath coming out in a visible puff of mist. It disappears just as quickly as it appears, and Leo blows some warmth into his hands before stuffing them right back into his jacket pocket in a feeble attempt to retain heat.  
  
Continuing dragging his feet across the concrete pavement, Leo regrets not wearing more than a hastily chosen collared shirt and his usual navy blue jacket. It’s probably below ten degrees, not that he checked, and he’s already started his day with a bad decision. Great.   
  
Why exactly had he decided to make this clothing decision? He’d like to say that some aliens decided to come down from the faraway space to bless this specific article of clothing but... some fantasies sadly never come true. It’s really more just for nostalgia’s sake. After all, Leo is finally going to meet his dear knight once again.   
  
Izumi Sena. Just thinking about that name excites him. Glancing down at his feet, he adds a hop to his step, twirling around and yelling gibberish in ecstacy, ignoring the eccentric stares he got from the people around him.  
  
It’s been a while since Leo’s been able to see Izumi face to face, what with all the busy jobs that came with Izumi’s jump straight into the modelling after leaving Yumenosaki and Leo being Leo, well...  
  
During their graduation ceremony, the third year watched alongside Izumi as the school sent them all on their way, their blessings riding high along their backs. Their dear juniors watched in the meticulously arranged rows of seats, both a sense of pride and sorrow filling their faces.   
  
Leo grabbed his certificate with a joyous stride, holding it high in the air, signalling to all his comrades a new period to come.  
  
And after graduation and all the jazz that came with it, Leo Tsukinaga did what Leo Tsukinaga did best. Disappearing. Leaving without a single trace in the world.  
  
It was as if he had never existed at all, a mere phantom writing the songs that had pushed Chess forward, as well as leading to their ultimate downfall. A melancholic ghost that led Knights halfway into the year, only to vanish as soon as his regrets and wishes were fulfilled.  
  
It’s not like he didn’t want to stay with Knights; they were the source of all his happiness during that year of his life. He’s grown with them, he’s cried with them, he’s smiled with them. But with graduation came new beginnings and Leo did not want to be the factor to hold all of their talented selves back.  
  
Of course, he did tell his family about all this, leaving out his own issues of self worth. His parents were sad but not surprised, still supportive in his decision. Ruka was gentle in all her anger but with tears in her eyes, she bid him goodbye, earning her one more pat on her head from her dear older brother. She’s definitely going to grow up to be an excellent woman, Leo’s sure of it.  
Leo moved into an apartment of his very own. It’s his first step into both independence and dependence. Because not long after, his phone filled with messages from his dear unitmates. Clearly, word spread quick. 

Just a day after he settled in, a message came in from one Izumi Sena.

-

  
**FROM: SENA**

 _oi_  
  
_you’re such an annoying king_  
  
_are you really going to run away from everything again? i’m not letting you_

-

Staring at his bright screen, all Leo could do at the moment was laugh. It was such a typical message for Izumi to send, written completely in his standard texting style. Honestly, he should have expected it. And just a few seconds after, his phone started buzzing non-stop, threatening to fall out of his hand with all the movement.

-

  
**FROM: NARU  
**   
_Ou~sama~_  
  
_Let’s go shopping!!!! My treat (*´ ∀`)♪ ♡_

-

  
**FROM: RITTSU  
**   
_made a cake for you_  
  
_come and get it uwu_

-

  
**FROM: NEWBIE (SUO~)  
**   
_Leader. Even if you choose to disappear again, I will use all of my power that I currently possess to track you down. Just to let you know, my first stop is the park near our school. So, if you are currently there, stay put._

- 

For the next ten minutes, Leo stared at his phone, the only movement being the slight swipe of his finger to switch between the four text messages. He finally settles on Izumi’s message, burning the casual words into his memories. As a melody started to play at the back of his mind, a giggle was the only thing that caused a single tear to dislodge from his eye.  
  
“Inspiration…” Leo had muttered, as night started to fall outside his room, the stars high up in the sky twinkling with great light. Inches of sleep started to snake itself into his mind as his eyes gradually shut closed. He laid there, slumped over in his seat, clutching his phone close to his heart.  
  
A honk breaks himself out of his thoughts and the orange haired man turns to face a car stopped right besides him. Blinking, he breaks out a smile, waves to the clearly irritated driving and continues walking through the crosswalk even as the red-man stares with a scarlet light.   
  
Somehow, even now, Leo’s feet still feel light and in a matter of a few more minutes, he finally reaches his destination.

It’s a familiar sight even if Leo hasn’t seen it in over half a year. A western styled house with a classic grey roof, walls painted white. It’s the exact same as the two buildings it’s sandwiched in between. The house is inconspicuous, the opposite of its owner and his charismatic aura.   
  
A hum can quietly be heard from the composer as he stands right outside the gate. He shifted back and forth on the balls of his feet, running a hand through his hair while he stares at the unmoving door.   
  
His mind keeps giving the message to move and ring the doorbell though his body shows no sign of performing that action. Instead, his gaze shifts towards a small patch of grass by the right of the house, his feet automatically moving towards it.   
  
At first, Leo just registers the vibrant green sprouting from the blades of grass. Then, his attention shifts to the clusters of small flowers blooming, spreading bright colors throughout the tiny plot.   

There are small buds of white hanging from thin stems, the petals shaped around it making it almost seem like a light bulb. Around them are flowers of a slightly bigger size dyed a royal purple stood as if reaching upwards, encasing an orange stigma within. And the final flower is one that Leo himself recognises, written incessantly about in storybooks he used to read to Ruka. It’s yellow is radiant in all its glory, extending out in a star shape.   
  
If Leo had to use just one word to describe these blossoms, he would, without doubt, use ‘beautiful’. They make a breathtaking sight.  
  
So caught up in his admiration in the patch, Leo doesn’t notice a figure approach him by the side. There’s a tap on his shoulder and he jumps in surprise, making a yell in the process.  
  
“Ousama, why are you standing out here in the cold alone?” The voice is familiar in all its exasperation. Leo can already hear the incoming sigh.  
  
He shifts on his heel to directly face his new companion, looking straight at those blue eyes he had committed to memory. Leo puts on a pout, adding a oomph of pettiness into his tone, “Se~na! Is that how you greet your friend after so long?"

That just gets him a flick on the forehead and in response, Leo only intensifies his pout. They stand there for a moment before Leo bursts into laughter, Izumi following suit.  
  
“It’s nice to see you again.” Izumi’s face is gentle, his features softening. In Leo’s eyes, his beauty is just enhanced.  
  
“I miss you so, so much too, Sena! You know, I even miss you so much that I’m going to propose to you, right here and now!” Leo begins to get down on one knee but quickly hops back up onto his feet when he feels a cool wetness seep into his jeans.   
  
Izumi reaches out to hit his partner lightly on the head, immediately starting to complain though it lacks any of its usual bite, “Geez, you’re so annoying.”  
  
It’s just the two of them, playing around, teasing each other, and Leo couldn’t think of anything that could bring him more joy in that very moment. It’s no lie: he’s really missed his knight.  
  
A breeze passes by them and a single stem must have been on the verge of breaking because when Leo looks down, he spots the yellow flower by his feet. His attention shifts back to the garden. Leaning down to pick the blossom up, he turns his line of sight back to where the flowers bloom.  
  
Izumi must have noticed what now captivated Leo as he changes the subject to those fauna. “Naru-kun came by to visit a while ago. She complained about the lack of color and...” There is a pause that Izumi took to sigh. He lifts his fingers to mimic quotation marks, just to exaggerate how supposedly outrageous Arashi’s words were, “‘overall aesthetic’. After that, she left and came back the very next day to plant these in the soil.”  
  
Still fixing his eyes on the flower clusters, Leo squats down so he’s within arm reach of the garden and just moves his head to acknowledge Izumi’s words. “Naru made a great decision!”  
  
A chuckle comes from Izumi, “Well, I can’t deny that they do look pretty.”

“Yu~p!” Leo shouts with glee. Pointing to the white light bulb like flower with his free hand, he asks, “What’s that?”  
  
“A flower,” Izumi scoffs sarcastically. Leo huffs, putting up a fake tantrum and a beat later, Izumi continues talking. “That’s a snowdrop. It grows as Spring arrives. Apparently, they mean hope and rebirth in flower language. Pretty poetic if you ask me.”  
  
The composer claps, taking care not to smash the flower in between his palms. “Wow! Sena is so smart! Let’s give a round of applause!”  
  
“Yeah, yeah. Naru-kun just gave me a rundown on the basics. She still remembered that stuff from when she helped out at that Flower Shop.”  
  
Giving a thumbs-up, Leo gives a fervent nod and claps even harder, leading to Izumi to just roll his eyes in response.   
  
“The purple flower,” Izumi starts explaining again, causing Leo to move his eyes to them. “Those are called crocus. The most common meanings are glee and youthfulness but I think the third, gladness, is a much nicer mean interpretation.”  
  
As Izumi finishes his sentence, Leo reaches out his hand to a crocus bud growing right near the edge, stroking the delicate purple petals in between his fingers. Izumi watches Leo with a warm look and pauses for a while before beginning his next explanation.  
  
“And that yellow one…”  
  
“...Is a daffodil!” Unable to resist interrupting him, Leo grins pridefully, delighting in the pleasure of showing his own knowledge. He raises up the one he had previously picked up with both hands, showing it off to the standing Izumi.  
  
Laughter once again makes its way to his ears and Izumi’s voice picks up a playful tone, “So, if you’re so clever, why don’t you tell me what they mean?”  
  
“Hmm…” Leo makes a non-committal sound, pressing a finger against his chin in deep thought. He recalls all the storybooks, the tales simplified, printed out neatly in bold fonts, finished up with beautiful yet simple drawings. “Daffodils mean... inspiration!”  
  
“Hehe, well, you’re not wrong,” Izumi notes, patting Leo’s head as a reward for answering correctly which Leo gladly leans into. “Honestly, these are quite popular flowers. Naru-kun told me a bit of their flower language but I can’t remember most of it.”

“Other meanings are creativity and hope. There’s chivalry, respect and if I remember correctly, in China, it means good fortune.” Izumi rambles on, a faraway look on his face as he attempts to recall all the other definitions. “Oh and... daffodils also symbolise forgiveness.” As Izumi lists the last definition, his face softens into something indescribable. Leo can’t put a finger on it but one emotion he identifies is melancholy.  
  
He thinks back on the events of last year, and the year before. Lots of things had happened, lots of events, lots of lives. Checkmate, Judgement, Halloween, Starfes, Repayment. Things that had changed them, for better and for worst.  
  
As much as Leo wants to deny these painful incidents, he can’t. They’re all far too embedded into his character now, into Izumi’s, into Knights’. And so, he’ll gladly take his crown of thorns and walk tall; he has people he wants to fight for now.  
  
And then there’s his partner. His Izumi. His dear Izumi. Leo knows: he’s selfish, he’s petty, he’s possessive. But, for as long as he lives, Leo will happily call Izumi ‘his’. Leo may be the official king but Izumi is his prince. And he’ll follow his royal majesty to the ends of the world.

“Ousama?” In the midst of all his thoughts, Leo barely registers Izumi’s question, the silver haired model waving a gloved hand right in front of the composer’s face.  
  
Leo blinks, takes a second to compose all his thoughts, and plasters on his signature huge smile and laughs loudly. Shooting Izumi his cheerful look, he bends down, plucking a single flower from the garden, earning himself a half-hearted protest from the model.  
  
Bouncing back up, Leo squeezes in right next to Izumi, closing the distance between the two. He initiates a stare with the silver haired man, taking in all his beauty before he moves in, pressing his lips right onto Izumi’s. They feel soft, as expected with all of the model’s extensive skincare routines, and Leo can taste the faintest hint of vanilla from them, most likely from his fancy lip balm. Izumi kisses back and the sweet feeling is only intensified, as if his mind is being filled with sugary honey. It brings Leo nothing short of ecstasy.  
  
As quickly as he had initiated the kiss, Leo separates from being intertwined with Izumi, taking the opportunity of Izumi being stunned to place to jump up, taking the daffodil in his hands and adding it to Izumi’s silver hair, adding a pop of color and further increasing how pretty the model is. There’s one last flower language that Izumi had forgotten to mention: rebirth.

Izumi first shoots Leo a glare but it quickly melts away into a heartwarming grin, his hand moving up to fiddle with the newly placed decoration adorning his hair. Gesturing towards the door of his house, he says, “Let’s head in.”  
  
“Alrighty~!” Leo harmonises, waiting for his partner to walk forward a few feet before pouncing on his back, almost sending the both of them down into a howling mess. He catches them before they fall, reaching a hand out to Izumi to which the model gladly accepts.  
  
Winter is ending soon and with it, warmth arrives, the breeze bestowing upon them a sacred gift of new beginnings. And this time, Leo isn’t afraid to venture forward.  
  
Staring up at the bright, blue sky, somehow, Leo can still see the stars hidden deep beyond, just like that night where he was reminded of everything he cared for. Casting one last look to the hidden skies, to the beautiful garden, he follows Izumi in.

**Author's Note:**

> Izuleo is such a big ship for me and I had fun delving into their relationship, especially Leo's more selfish side haha! I've honestly not written these two much before so I hope I did them justice www. 
> 
> Thanks so much to Miya and Mira for helping me reading through this and to kaIsinasi for such a fun prompt! Chat to me on twt @tennplate about enstars or any other fandoms in general!


End file.
